New Delhi | Union Home Minister Amit Shah will hold a key meeting on Friday to discuss the future course of action on the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 with Pakistan, which has been kept in abeyance, sources said.
Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil and senior officials of several ministries will take part in the meeting, sources said.
The meeting is expected to discuss the future course of action and how to implement the decision of keeping the treaty in abeyance, they said.
India has already informed Pakistan of its decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance with immediate effect, saying Pakistan has breached its conditions.
India's Water Resources Secretary Debashree Mukherjee said in a letter addressed to her Pakistani counterpart, Syed Ali Murtaza, that sustained cross-border terrorism by Pakistan targeting Jammu and Kashmir impedes India's rights under the Indus Waters Treaty.
"The obligation to honour a treaty in good faith is fundamental to a treaty. However, what we have seen instead is sustained cross-border terrorism by Pakistan targeting the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir," the letter read.
India's decision to suspend the decades-old treaty follows the killing of 26 people, mostly tourists, in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on Tuesday.
"The resulting security uncertainties have directly impeded India's full utilisation of its rights under the treaty," the letter read.
The communication to Pakistan also highlighted "significantly altered population demographics, the need to accelerate the development of clean energy, and other changes" as reasons necessitating a re-assessment of the treaty's obligations.
To give effect to the decision, the government has also formally issued a notification to suspend the Indus Water Treaty.
The treaty brokered by the World Bank has governed the distribution and use of the Indus river and its tributaries between India and Pakistan since 1960.
The Indus river system comprises the main river, the Indus, and its tributaries. The Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Jhelum and Chenab are its left-bank tributaries, while the Kabul river, a right-bank tributary, does not flow through Indian territory.
The Ravi, Beas and Sutlej are collectively referred to as the eastern rivers, while the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab are known as the western rivers.
The water of this river system are crucial to both India and Pakistan.
At the time of Independence, the boundary demarcation between the two newly-formed nations -- India and Pakistan -- cut through the Indus Basin, leaving India as the upper riparian and Pakistan as the lower riparian state.
Two key irrigation works -- one at Madhopur on the Ravi and another at Ferozepur on the Sutlej -- on which Punjab on Pakistan's side was entirely dependent, ended up within the Indian territory.
This led to a dispute between the two countries over the utilisation of irrigation water from the existing infrastructure.
Following negotiations facilitated by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (now part of the World Bank Group), the Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960.
Under the treaty, India was granted exclusive rights to the water of the eastern rivers-- the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi -- amounting to an average annual flow of about 33 million acre-feet (MAF).
The water of the western rivers -- Indus, Jhelum and Chenab -- amounting to an average annual flow of around 135 MAF was largely allocated to Pakistan.
However, the treaty allowed India to utilise the water of the western rivers for domestic needs, non-consumptive uses, agriculture and hydroelectric power generation.
On Wednesday, India announced a barrage of measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, expulsion of Pakistani military attaches and the immediate shutting down of the Attari land-transit post.
Pakistan has rejected India's suspension of the treaty and said any measures to stop the flow of water "belonging to Pakistan" under the pact will be seen as an "act of war".
New Delhi | The government is working on a strategy to ensure that not a single drop of water flows from India into Pakistan, Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil asserted on Friday following a high-level meeting chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah.
Paatil told PTI that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has issued a slew of directives, and the meeting was held to follow up on them and Shah made several suggestions at the meeting for their effective implementation.
"We will ensure that not a single drop of water flows into Pakistan from India," he said.
Shah held the meeting to discuss the future course of action following India's decision to keep in abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 with Pakistan after Tuesday's Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed.
Paatil later posted on X, "The Modi government's historic decision on the Indus Waters Treaty is lawful and in national interest. We will ensure that not a single drop of Indus water flows into Pakistan."
Sources said the government is working on a long-term plan to ensure the effective implementation of its decisions.
Besides Paatil, senior officials of several ministries attended the meeting, they added.
India has already informed Pakistan of its decision to keep the treaty in abeyance with immediate effect, saying that the neighbouring country has breached its conditions by targeting Jammu and Kashmir with sustained cross-border terrorism.
Paatil said India has sent a strong message to Pakistan that it will not tolerate terrorism at all.
Srinagar | Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Friday said the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan that has been put in abeyance by the Centre in the wake of the Pahalgam attack was the "most unfair document" to the people of the Union territory and they have never been in favour of it.
"Government of India has taken some steps. As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, let's be honest we have never been in favour of the Indus Water Treaty," Abdullah told reporters here after a meeting with various tourism, trade and industry bodies.
In the aftermath of the attack in which 26 people were killed, India on Wednesday downgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan and announced a raft of measures, including expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, suspension of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 and immediate shutting down of the Attari land-transit post.
Asked about the Centre's decision on IWT, Abdullah said Jammu and Kashmir has always believed that the IWT has been the "most unfair document to its people".
"Now what the medium to long-term implications to this are, that is something we have to wait to see," he added.
To a question whether the government would reward the bravery of 'ponywallah' Syed Adil Hussain Shah, who stood up against the armed terrorists before being killed, Abdullah said "absolutely".
"He (Shah) is a symbol not just of Kashmiriyat but of Kashmiri hospitality and it is our responsibility not just to reward him and his family, but to keep that memory alive for times immemorial," he said.
The chief minister said the government will find a suitable mechanism to do that.
He also announced that Maharashtra tour and travel operators have decided to adopt Shah's family to take care of all their education needs from now until they complete their education and also to help the family in the days and years ahead.
Abdullah said Friday's meeting condemned the killings and unitedly raised voice against such attacks.
"I thank all the participants in the meeting. They clearly said the attack was not done in our name and that they were not in favour of it nor will be in future. We regret that it happened.
"Some suggestions have been kept before the government so that such things do not happen in the future. I have assured them that all the suggestions will be implemented," he said.
Asked if there was any discussion on the business losses for the tourism industry, the chief minister said "at this point in time, we are not counting rupees and paisa".
"I think credit to all the participants and stakeholders in this meeting that not one of them lamented the loss of business. Not one of them said what will happen to me as my rooms are empty, or houseboats are empty or taxi is empty.
"They all said business comes and goes, at this point in time that is not our concern. Our concern is to express solidarity and sympathy with the families of those 26 people who were killed in this attack," he said.
There may be a time in the future, Abdullah said, when we will sit down and discuss the financial implications of what is happening to Jammu and Kashmir's economy.
"But, not one of the participants used this meeting today to either talk about the business losses that they are suffering or ask for any sort of compensation from the government. I think that is a credit to our business organisations," he added.
On the condemnations of the attack in mosques around the valley, Abdullah said it was an answer to all those spreading venom and hatred against the people of Kashmir.
"The two-minute silence observed in Jamia masjid is an answer to all those channels who are trying to spread venom against Kashmiris. But, unfortunately, these shameless channels will not show that because their channels cannot run by showing such things," he said.
"These channels run by spreading hatred. I wish these channels had courage. I am sorry for saying this, but anchors of some of these channels are cowards, they do not support the truth.
"Had they supported the truth, then they would have told the world that a two-minute silence was observed at the historic Jamia Masjid in Kashmir to express solidarity with the 26 victims of Pahalgam," Abdullah added.
Before the start of the Friday congregational prayers at the Jamia Masjid here, Kashmir's chief cleric and Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and the people present in the mosque observed a minute's silence to show solidarity with the affected families.
About the reports of harassment of Kashmiris outside Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah said he has raised the issue with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
"I talked to the home minister during this meeting only. He has assured me that all steps needed to be taken for the safety and security of the students or traders or others will be taken.
"An advisory will be issued from the home ministry and the home minister himself has talked to some chief ministers in this regard. I have also talked to my counterparts and concrete steps are being taken at such places," he said.
Abdullah said his ministerial colleagues will go to those states and liaise with the governments there to take whatever steps are needed.
Islamabad | Pakistan government has decided to halt the contentious canals project after India decided to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty in the wake of deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
Army chief General Asim Munir and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had inaugurated the ambitious Cholistan project in February to irrigate the desert region in Punjab province.
However, it created an uproar in Sindh province where different political parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which is part of the ruling coalition at the centre with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), began protest against the project.
At the height of the tension between the two parties, India announced to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), prompting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to meet PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and agreed to stop the canals project.
They also agreed that the contentious canals project will remain suspended until a consensus on the issue could be reached in the Council of Common Interests (CCI), a high powered inter-provincial body to tackle controversies between provinces.
Dawn reported that addressing a press conference with Bilawal, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the two sides considered the country’s situation in detail and India’s announcements related to the rivers.
“Today, we decided in the meeting between the PPP and PML-N with mutual agreement that until a decision is reached with mutual consensus in the CCI, no further canal will be constructed and the federal government has decided that there will be no further progress on canals without the consensus of opinion among provinces,” he said.
The CCI meeting was being called on May 2, in which the PPP and PML-N’s decisions would be backed.
Bilawal thanked the prime minister for hearing out the PPP and the nation’s reservations and complaints in the detailed engagement and taking important subsequent decisions.
He said the prime minister had largely addressed the complaints of those protesting the government’s policy and expressed hope that the CCI meeting would endorse the decision of no new canal construction without mutual agreement.
“We are not taking any decision today, but only affirming that without a consensus, new canals will not be made. I am looking forward to the CCI meeting.”
Bilawal also strongly condemned India’s announcements, particularly regarding the IWT, and said they were not only illegal but “against humanity”.
“We will stand together with you and raise Pakistan’s case not only on the streets but on the international level and will give a befitting response to India’s decision,” the former foreign minister said.
Earlier, the announcement by the federal government said that there is a proposal to construct six canals in the Punjab province to irrigate land in the Cholistan region under the Green Pakistan Initiative – a project that has the support of the powerful army, the government and the provincial administration.
The government announcement came in January and the soft launch in Cholistan took place in February.
Meanwhile, Pakistan reiterated on Friday that the Indus water treaty is of critical importance for Pakistan's water security and economy and it will take all appropriate steps to preserve its sanctity and smooth implementation.
Tension escalated between India and Pakistan after terrorists opened fire in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on Tuesday, killing 26 people, mostly tourists, in the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the attack.
